


Double Check

by laadychat



Series: fics I've never finished [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-03-20 19:56:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18999433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laadychat/pseuds/laadychat
Summary: The truth was bound to come out. It was just a matter of when it would. And how.The how is definitely important.





	1. Chapter #1

Alya had a spring in her steps. She had a great footage on the akuma attack yesterday and was excited to show her best friend. As she stepped into the class, made her way to her seat, only stopping wave at Adrien and Nino.

"Hey guys!" She greeted cheerfully, planting a kiss on Nino's cheek. "How was your weekend?"

Nino grinned at the greeting. He gave her a hug before resting his head on her shoulder. "Would have been better if you came over." He said softly, only for her eyes to hear. But before she could respond, the bell ring, which in turn had the teacher closing the door. At this, Alya frowned. The teacher never closed it until Marinette showed up, only because the girl in question has made it a habit to come late. Shaking her head, she made the rest of the way to her seat, shaking off the thought. Maybe the teacher just forgot.

Twenty minutes into the class, and the blue-haired friend was still no where to be seen. This was unnerving. When the teacher wasn't looking, she checked her phone. No messages. Straightening up, she slowly slid herself forward. "Hey guys," she whispered, keeping her eyes on the board. When Alya was aware that had captured the boys' attention, she continued. "Do you know where Marinette is?"

Nino shook his head, making sure to not draw attention. "I thought you would."

"She texted me earlier saying she was sick." This caught her attention because how did Adrien know but she didn't. "What?" Turning in his chair slightly, he lowered his voice further. "Said something about catching the flu. I'm going to stop by at the end of school and drop off today's lessons if you want come with me." At this, the girl just nodded her head. She was too stunned to do anything else. It was always Alya that brought the lessons to Marinette if she missed school. Checking her phone again - _  
_

_No New Messages_

Dumbfounded, she slumped back in her seat. The only conclusion she came up with was that Marinette was upset with her.

No, not upset.

_Furious._

Whenever they got into arguments, they were quick to make-up. But even though Alya went through their entire interaction yesterday, he mind was drawing a blank. Her eyes widened at another thought. Maybe Marinette and Adrien are finally getting closer? Yeah, she nodded her head. That was the only logical explanation. Feeling a little less confused, she quickly texted Marinette.

 **Alya:** _Mari, I'll swing by during lunch, your sweety told me you were sick!_

Feeling content, she slipped her phone back into her pocket, her attention now on the lesson at hand.

\--

 

Grabbing her things, Alya checked her phone.

_Huh. Still no message._

Shrugging off the sense of dread that started creeping into her, she waved at the boys. Marinette must really be sick if she hadn't texted back yet. The girl always had her phone on her. Almost as much as Alya.

When the bakery came to focus, she quickened her pace. By the time she entered, she was at a near sprint, startling the two adults.

"Alya? Sweety, are you okay?"

At the voice, the girl smiled. Sabine was always nice, and you can't help but smile whenever she's around. "Hi, Ms. Dupain-Cheng! Is Marinette here? I was told she caught the flu."

When they realized that she was fine, Tom chuckled. "Yeah, but she's been in bed all day. I'm sure seeing you will cheer her up!"

Waving goodbye, Alya made her way to Marinette's room. Seeing how relaxed her parents seemed had eased Alya's panicked state. Maybe Marinette is really just sick and not ignoring her.

"I don't know what to do anymore. It's so obviously a lie."

Hearing this, Alya froze.

"Marinette, it's okay."

Alya did not recognize that voice and her heart had started beating wildly. What was Marinette talking about? And with who?

"Tikki, listen. Those things she's been spilling out of her mouth? Easy things to fact check. Like, saving Jagged's cat? A cat? Anyone who looks it up online would know that Jagged is _allergic_ to cats. I even called him _personally_ to ask him that question."

Frowning, Alya started to understand who she was talking about. Rolling her eyes, she honestly can't believe Marinette was still hung on that. What was it, like two weeks ago when Lila mentioned that story?

"And the whole thing with Clara Nightingale? _I_ was the one with her during the entire shoot of her last album and Lila Rossi was _never mentioned._ And when I asked her, she didn't even know who she was!"

The creases around the brown-haired girl's lips only deepened. What was she saying? Surely if Marinette was part of the singer's crew, she would tell her best friend.

But that was just it, Alya realized.

Last week, Marinette had tried telling Alya about the awesome job she took up. Marinette was going to shadow the designing crew and give her input throughout the filming. But that's when Lila beat her to the punch.

* _Flashback*_

"Hey, Alya! Guess what?"

The girl in question only slightly turned to her friend, her attention on someone else.

"Listen girl, you're not going to believe this. I got asked to help out in Clara Nightingale's - "

"Sh, Mari." Alya said absentmindedly, not paying attention to anything the hero said. "Lila is just about to tell her how she's helping out with the new album by Clara!"

And just like that, the girl forgot about her friend until Lila left. It was only then that she remembered.

"Mari, what were you saying?"

"Forget it. I gotta go, don't feel like eating."

* _Flashback Ends*_

 

 

Alya covered her mouth, eyes wide as the understanding of her actions finally dawning to her. But unbeknownst to her, Marinette was no one near done with her rant.

"Tikki," - Alya still could not figure out who Tikki was - "But the one thing that really pisses me off, is the post Alya put up on Ladyblog."

At that, her heart came to a stand still. What post was she talking about.

"Lila Rossi is Ladybug's best friend? _Best friend?_ If only Alya know how much Lila actually hated Ladybug. For God sake, Lila separated me and Chat, claiming that she broke her ankle. Chat, being the ever angel he is, believed her. And the result? She did that so Oni-chan could get my miraculous." A sound broke the sudden silent and that's when Alya heard it. Her sobs.

_Marinette was crying._

"Thank God Adrien can see through her lies because quite frankly, and excuse my language, I'm so done with her bullshit."

"Marinette, don't blame Alya! Lila did make a really convincing tale, and Alya wasn't the only one who fell for it."

"Yeah, but why couldn't she ask for an interview with me so that I could tell her how wrong she is. The whole thing is just, as Chloe would put it, ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous."

"Okay, good point. But ignoring Alya, and going to school, won't make things better. Besides, she doesn't know that her best friend is actually one of the hero's of Paris."

A pin drop could be heard with how quiet Alya became.

_Marinette is Ladybug?_

This couldn't be true. Her best friend? Her clumsy, sweet, kind best friend is Paris' hero? How could she have not seen this? 

That was as much as she could bare to hear. Quickly, and as quitely as she could, Alya retreated down to the bathroom. She needed to gather her thoughts, but oh - she could feel a sense of panic threatening to show its head.

_Just breathe, Alya. Just breathe._

Then it hit her - by brushing Marinette off whenever she tried talking to Alya about anything Ladybug or Lila related, she was essentially taking sides. What ever the Italian girl said, Alya took as true and didn't bother to fact check her sources. She wants to be a reported but how could she not do the one thing she was proud of?

Double check her information.

When Lila agreed to do the interview about Ladybug, she automatically assumed that whatever the girl said was true. And she didn't even ask Ladybug about it.

Ladybug, the hero in question herself.

How could she called herself a true reporter now?

Shaking her head, as if to shake away the thoughts. Alya straightened her back. Now wasn't the time to dwell on this much longer, her friend needed some major comforting. She decided to have her meltdown after school, in the privacy of her room.

Making her way back up to her friend's room, steadied her breathing.

One knock. No answer. Another knock. "Marinette, it's Alya. Hurry up and open the door, girl."

It was a few moments before anything was heard on the other side of the door. It took a bit longer to finally hear the opening hatch of the door and then -

"What are you doing here, Alya?"

Swallowing hard, the girl in question tried to put on her best nothing-is-wrong attitude. "What are you talking about? I heard that my best friend was sick and couldn't bare the thought of her suffering all by herself."

Despite this show of flare, Marinette didn't budge for a couple of seconds. When their eyes met, Alya deflated a little. She had never seen her friend's eyes be that gaurded before.

But as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. And smile was in its place.

"Thanks for coming, Alya." She said, opening the door all the way, letting the girl enter.

"Of course, Mari." With a blow of a kiss, Alya was inside her room. And one more thing. "Since when were you and Adrien close? You even asked him to drop of the lessons for you."

With a soft blush growing on her cheeks, Marinette rolled her eyes. "Not a big deal, Alya."

"But you also told him you were sick. You didn't even tell me that!"

"We were already texting when I asked my parents to stay home! Then I knocked out!"

"Texting, huh?" Alya smiled slyly, leaning closer to her now. "For how long?"

Marinette shut her jaw and turned away. At this, the other girl laughed.

And she made up her mind. She was going to do whatever she can to earn her friends forgiveness. And exposing Lila - the Alya way.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Understanding and realization, often go hand in hand.

"Basically. Can you believe that?"

They quickly felt back into their routines, the awkwardness in the beginning quickly forgotten. But alas, it was time for Alya to head back to school. "Will you be at school tomorrow?"

Marinette paused to ponder on the question. On one hand, she really didn't want to go to school and have to deal with the lies Lila spits. But on the other, Tikki is right. Marinette can't exactly ignore school. Or Alya. "I do feel better now. I'm gonna go tomorrow."

Hearing this, Alya grinned and made her way out the door and towards the school. She believes this is her chance, her chance to make amends with her best friend. Her chance to prove to Marinette that Alya is still her best friend and no one will get in between them again. Now that she thought of it, Alya hasn't actually been paying a great deal of attention towards her friend. The last couple of weeks, she would brush aside whatever Marinette said about Lila and even went as far as stating that she was jealous. Alya calls herself Marinette's best friend, but when was the last she actually called the blue-haired girl and asked to hang out? But everything Lila said couldn't all have been lies, right? There had to be some truths throw in there once in a while, right? Because there's no way-

_Marinette is Ladybug._

Suddenly, the world seemed to be turning on its axis.

_And Ladybug chose me to be Rena Rouge._

Oh.

_**Oh no.** _

Despite all the things Alya put Marinette through, Marinette trusted her enough to be a hero. Hell, they were fighting side by side last night. And all this time, Alya didn't believe a thing her friend said. Taking in a deep breathe, Alya tried to find her balance. Has she really been that bad of a friend? Did she really disregard Marinette's feelings so much that the latter doesn't reach out to her anymore? Was that why Adrien knew Marinette was sick and she didn't? There's a lot of things Alya is going to have to make up for. And she knows exactly where to start.

Or more like who.

The boy in question was just heading out of his car and towards the front doors. Perfect.

"Hey, Adrien!"

Adrien turned around, raising his hand in a small wave when he saw her. However, the look in his eyes he wasn't too friendly, but polite, making Alya flinch. Maybe Adrien was aware of the pain she put through Marinette. But, it's time to make amends and this boy was going to help her. "I need to talk to you. It's about Marinette." This definitely got his attention and he pulled her aside.

"What's wrong with Marinette?"

"Nothing." Her shoulder sagging, Alya looked defeated. "I just realized how much of a dick I've been." She paused, rubbing her face as she gave Adrien a pained smile. She was bracing for his response, hoping that maybe Adrien wasn't aware of how she's been treating Marinette. However, what little hope she had was quickly disappearing with each second that he didn't respond. When the silence was finally lasting too long, it was clear to her that Adrien wasn't going to say something. Looking at him, she noticed how his shoulder was tensed, his eyes guarded, and.. something else. But it was gone before Alya could figure it out. And this didn't make the terrible feeling in her stomach disappear. If anything, it looks like Adrien knew more than what Alya originally thought.

"What did you do, Alya." He asked, but in a way that meant _I know but I want you to admit it._

Oh, he definitely knew.

It took a whole afternoon of persuading from Marinette to get him not to break down Alya's door and shake some sense into her. And he was livid. Angry, no _furious,_ when the masked hero told him what was going on. Adrien couldn't believe that Alya, Marinette's best friend, would stab her in the back and act like Marinette's feelings didn't matter. How dare she.

And to say Adrien was protective of Marinette would be an understatement. In the past couple of months, they got much closer. When Adrien wasn't practicing piano, Chinese, or all of his other activities, he was at Marinette's place. And from what he gathered, he realized how awesome of a person Marinette is. She's strong, confident, and extremely intelligent. And don't forget creative. Marinette is the sweetest and kindest person Adrien met. So when Alya repeatedly hurts Marinette, it took everything in him to keep his composure. And it was only because of his promise to her that was preventing him from giving Alya a piece of his mind.

 

_\- Flashback -_

 

_"Adrien, you can't."_

_"But Marinette! How can I not do anything!"_

_"It's okay, Adrien. I know Alya will come around."_

_"Don't you dare say this is okay. This is so far from okay."_

_"Look, I tried everything. I'm just... sad. I didn't think she'd believe her over me."_

_"She's home, right? I'm going over there right now."_

_"Don't! Please, Adrien, just... let me think of something, okay? Just give me some time and don't say anything to her."_

_"Mar-" "Promise me. Please?"_

_"Fine. I promise. But for fuck's sake, Marinette, if anything happens, please don't keep it inside and tell me okay? Call me, text me, whatever, but talk to me, okay?"_

_A watery smile and a tight hug, she was already feeling a little better._

 

_\- Flashback -_

 

"I... I b-" The school bell rung, leaving whatever she was going to see in her throat.

"We'll talk after school." With that said, he turned away, leaving the girl in confusion. And it scared the girl more than she would like to admit. Because if Adrien was acting like this, then she really fucked things up.

 

-

 

Alya didn't get a chance to talk to Adrien again. Her mom called, telling her she needed to come home immediately after school because family was in town. But when she was trying to explain this to Adrien, all she received was a sharp nod and 'I'll let Marinette know', leaving her to feel even more terrible.

"Alya? What's going on between you and Adrien?"

Hearing that voice, a small smile found its way to her lips. But the question made sure it was gone just as quick.

"I don't know, Nino. We were suppose to talk about it after school but I have to go home."

When she turned to him, she didn't pay attention to much to the way he was looking at her. "Hug me?"

And with his arms around her, Alya felt like she could get through the day okay. Taking a deep breath, she broke away. "I have to go but I'll text you later?"

He nodded, concern clear on his face and the way his hands lingered on her arm. "Hey," he started, voice soft. "It's going to be okay."

Swallowing hard, Alya wanted to believe him. Oh, she desperately wanted nothing more than for those words to be true. "Thanks Nino." After a final kiss, she left. And Nino watched. He watched as his girlfriend walked away, her posture and expression clearly showing how she was feeling. And Nino wanted nothing more than to run to her, pick her up, kiss her, anything to bring her smile back.

But he knows Alya. She won't tell him anything until she's ready. So he shall wait. Besides, another friend requires his attention at the moment.

"Ready Nino?"

"Yeah, Adrien. Let me just grab something from the math teacher for Mari."

He just hopes that Alya is able to see through all the lies and maybe, the four of them will be able to be what they use to be.

_She's your best friend, Alya._

Once they gathered all their things, the two boys made their way over to the bakery. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will for sure be longer. Someone will join Nino, Adrien, and Marinette that you wouldn't have expected! But we'll also get to see things more from Marinette's perspective. And oh ho ho, Marinette and Adrien are close now? What will this growing friendship end up as?
> 
> Stick around my peeps.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, the strangest event brings some unexpected people together.

"Dude, we're going to totally ace this test."  
  
"Ugh, speak for yourself."  
  
Marinette flopped down on her bed bed, a groaning leaving her lips. Was it really necessary for her to take this class? Surely it's not going to help her be a better designer. Right?  
  
"Nino, have you met me? I can't do biology for shit."  
  
"You don't need to worry if you're rich, like me, Dupain-Cheng."  
  
With that statement, Marinette rolled her eyes. She couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her though.  
  
"Thanks for the advice, Ms. I'm-the-mayor's-daughter."  
  
At that, Chloé snorted. She just flipped her hair and checked her nails, the small glimps of a smile not going unnoticed. "Anyways, all this talk about school is giving me a headache. I vote that we go to the beach this weekend. We have a marvelous house by the coast."  
  
"Dude! That would be awesome!"  
  
Nino, who had abandoned his textbook in favor of the conversation, raised a fist in the air. "We definitely need a vacay."  
  
"Exactly. This kid's got the right idea." Chloé gave a nod of agreement, already typing away on her phone.  
  
Marinette, shocked that Nino and Chloé actually agreed on something, turned to the boy sitting next to her. "You heard that, right? Nino just agreed with Chloé."  
  
"Mind. Blown." Laughing at Nino's eye roll, Adrien nodded his head. A little escape could be good for them. "We should leave after school on Friday and stay the weekend."  
  
The blue-haired girl took a second to think about the idea. It's not the first time the group did something together. Ever since, well, you-know-who came back to school, the five of them became sort of like a clique. The common thing that kept them together was their mutual distaste for a certain girl. That, and the fact that they actually got along really well. Even Chloé liked their company, but you won't catch her admitting that.  
  
"Hey guys!"  
  
The fifth person of the group popped up from the door in the floor, a tray of goods in her hands. "Some help?"  
  
Being the one closest to her, Nino grabbed the tray, carefully setting it down before snaking a sweet from it. "Thanks, dudette."  
  
"Finally. You took your sweet time getting here." Chloé huffed, patting the space next to her.   
  
The girl smiled, a spring in her steps as she sat where she was told to. "Sorry, I went home to pick something up."  
  
"It's okay, Sabrina." Marinette laughed, sitting up as she turned her attention to her. "We're actually just talking about our upcoming beach trip this weekend. Chloé has volunteered to let us use her beach house."  
  
Now, one might wonder, how exactly did the five of them become like this. How was it that Chloé, Marinette, Sabrina, Nino, and Adrien become this close to take trips with each other? Especially, how are Chloé and Marinette friends now? The answer is simple - the same girl that was the cause of all their problems was what brought them together.  
  
But that story is for a later day.  
  
"As much as I would like to talk about this trip I'm just hearing about, there's something you guys should know."  
  
Now that got everyone's attention. It wasn't often that Sabrina was this serious. Taking a deep breath, she was clearly showing signs of annoyance. "Lila, the wild bitch, started telling people we were dealing drugs. That's why "they're always together. They knew that I knew so they threatened me" according to her. Apparently, we weren't in school on Monday because my dad caught us in the act."  
  
Stunned, no one said anything for a few second. Hearing Lila say things about them wasn't new, but this was definitely something else. Drugs? Threats? That could get them expelled. Besides, it's something that could easily be debunked.  
  
"We weren't there on Monday because we were in Milan for the weekend?" Marinette said, clearly confused how the Italian girl could twist such a false story. Plus, there are pictures to prove it. Obviously, it'd be weird to see all five of them together, considering the history between a couple of them. They also didn't want their classmates to realize how close they've actually become.  
  
Sabrina threw her hands up in exaggeration. "Well, duh. We know that. But because we never told anyone where were when we got back on Tuesday, some people actually believe her. I heard it from Alix." Shaking her head, she made herself comfortable, tucking her legs under her. "I stopped by my house to tell my dad about the situation."  
  
"What is wrong with her, it's like she wants to ruin all of us." Adrien muttered, leaning against Marinette. Use to this at this point, Marinette took little notice of it. "We haven't even bothered with her in, like, two months. But she wants to go tell everyone this? And people actually believe her?"  
  
"Wild, I know." Marinette said, disbelief clear as day on her face. "Well, should we be surprised? We already tried exposing her lies but people are much more idiotic then we originally thought." But at this, she couldn't help but chuckle, the whole thing is obviously completely ridiculous but there's some people that believed her?   
  
"Ridiculous. Utterly, and I cannot stress this enough, ridiculous." Chloé was almost shouting, quick to stand on her feet. Where as Marinette had brushed this aside and at most felt irritated, the blonde was clearly angry. "She has the audacity to say this? You know what?" He voice had gone hard, her expression now blank. There weren't many times they saw Chloé like this, but when they did, they knew it wasn't anything good. "We're going to end her."  
  
Nino, having been quiet thus far, stood up as well. "Dudes, she's taking this too far. It's about time we did something." And Nino was furious. Nino was hardly the one to get mad and this was clearly not something Nino liked. "Drugs? Has she gone mad? Suddenly we're not in school because we do drugs?" He was speaking softly, clearly holding in his anger, his frustration. This was it too, he had come to terms. He's going to get Alya to see the wrong doings of Lila. Alya knew this wasn't true, right?  
  
"Do you think Alya believes her?"  
  
Marinette, her eyes saddening, she turned to Adrien. Seeing the way this was making Marinette feel, Adrien wrapped his arms around her, drawing small circled on her back. "There's no way Alya will believe such a thing."  
  
"She believed that her and Ladybug are best friends." With a snort, Chloé sat back down, her attention on her nails. "And that Marinette cheated on the chemistry exam."  
  
"She what?"   
  
"Do you remember how Lila was hinting that you cheated? 'Wow, it looks like you did so well, Marinette'." The blonde mocked, dancing around the room in a very exaggerated fashion. "'I wonder what could have possibly helped you so much. No amount of studying can make a person pass a test like that.'"   
  
Straightening up, the girl in question's nose flared, squinting her eyes. "Is that why everyone was giving me so much crap last week? I was even given a lecture by the principal on cheating!"  
  
Sighing, Adrien rested his hand on Marinette's shoulder. There was no way Alya would believe such a thing, right? It's Marinette we're talking about, Alya's best friend. She would believe her over Lila, right? "Come on, I don't think Alya would actually believe that."  
  
"Anyways, dudes, I got to go. But we will talk about this over ice cream tomorrow. As for now," Nino started gathering his things, he turned his head to talk over his shoulder. "I need to go knock some sense into my girlfriend.  
  
"I do have a confession, though. I think Alya is starting the realize how she's been treating Marinette." There were eight eyes trained on him the moment he finished his sentence. Feeling a little more confident, Adrien continued. "She came up to me today and was talking about how she realized how much of a, and I quote, 'dick', she's been to Mari. So maybe there's hope?"   
  
Sabrina was the first to speak, clasping her hands in front of her. "Honestly, if Alya can see through Lila's bullshit, it'd be amazing. I have an idea and Alya would be perfect for it."  
  
"Then it's settled, I'm gonna go knock some sense into my girlfriend." Feeling a smile tug at the corner of his lips, Nino waved goodbye.  
  
"Now," Sabrina, ready to talk about anything else. "About this beach trip."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, I always thought chloe and mari would be able to actually be friends and be good friends at that. obv chloe will own up to how shitty she's been treating mari and mari doesn't forgive her 100% but the next chapter will be about how they even got to be like this. comment on yours thoughts and thanks for everything!


	4. Chapter 4

_"Marinette."_

_The girl in question snapped her head up to find the source of the voice. Feeling her defense surface at who she found, Marinette straightened her back, chin raised in defiance. She really didn't want to deal with anyone else today._

_"Chloe."_

_The blonde girl clearly didn't look happy today. Just Marinette's luck._

_"Chill it, Dupain-Cheng. I'm not here to piss you off today. Can we talk?"_

_That got Marinette's attention. This was not Chloe's normal attitude towards her and just out of pure curioisity, the blue-haired girl raised an eyebrow and nodded. What could Chloe possible want to talk to her about. The next words out of her did completely stun her though._

_"Not here, though. Can we talk at your place after school? My driver can take us there."_

_Marinette stayed quiet for a moment, taking in the way the girl in front of her was acting. Chloe hasn't said anything rude and if anything... she looked pissed. But it wasn't directed at her. With another nod, Chloe seemed to relax a bit._

_"Trust me. You're not going to regret this. And boy, do I have a story for you."_

_"Why are you acting like this with me?"_

_Marinette couldn't help but question her. The actions by the other girl was so baffling, she didn't know how to react. Chloe's face... it was not showing any of the animosity and dislike it normally did when the blue-haired girl was around._

_"Honestly? I never disliked you, Dupain-Cheng. But I admit I was a dick to you and I apologize for it. Let me explain myself later?"_

_At the confession, Marinette couldn't help but let her jaw drop. Of all explanations, this was not at all what she was expecting. If Chloe didn't dislike her, then why treat her so rudely for years?_

_Finally coming back to her senses, the pigtailed girl pointed at the blonde girl with a gaze filled of disbelief. "You can't just drop this all on me and expect me to not think about it all day. Can't we meet up during lunch or something?"_

_Chuckling, Chloe linked arms with Marinette and turned them towards their classroom. "It's too long of a discussion, it must wait till we get to your place. Plus, there's ears everywhere here. I only want your ears to hear what I have to say."_

_Stunned with everything that was happening, Marinette stayed silent. She really didn't know what to do with this sudden change in Chloe. And Chloe took her silence as acceptance and opened the door, continuing to drag the other girl with her. But she didn't stop there._

_The whole classroom turned to both girls, an obvious hush lingering. When Chloe was sure she had everyone's attention, she blew Marinette a kiss and walked to her seat next to Sabrina. Marinette on the other hand, was too shocked to do anything else but moved towards her seat next to Alya. It was when she felt a sharp jab on her side did she come back to earth._

_"Dude? What was that?"_

_Shifting to face Alya, Marinette just shrugged. She wanted to ask the blonde the same exact thing. "I have no idea, Alya. I'm just as confused as you are." And that wasn't a lie. As Alya was continuing to bombard her with questions she had no answer for, she heard the sound of her phone going off._

**_Chloe: Don't tell anyone what I said._ **

**_Chloe: Or that I'm coming over._ **

**_Chloe: Especially Alya. Trust me, you'll see why._ **

_This day was just getting stranger by the minute, Marinette thought. But for some reason, she listened. She didn't tell Alya about her plans later that day when the girl asked.  
_

 

 

_\--_

 

_Both girls ended up walking towards Chloe's car, with the girl talking very adamantly about someone famous she met the previous night. This didn't go unnoticed by anyone, and all eyes were on the two girls. It was definitely not a scene anyone expected. And Marinette was well aware of all the stares but Chloe? Didn't give one flying fuck. She made it seem like this was normal and the bakery girl just went along, having no clue what else to do. Once in the car, Chloe released her arm and turned to her._

_"Can I express to you how much I hate that Italian girl? Ugh, what was her name again? Kina?"_

_Amused, Marinette faced her as well. "Lila?"_

_"Huh, what a fitting name."_

_Chuckling, the baker's girl just sat back, curious as to where this conversation was headed. "Yeah, I thought so too. But why do you hate her?"_

_Throwing her hand up in the air, Chloe let her face do some of the explaining. The dislike and irritation that Marinette witnessed early came back in full swing. "Why? Have you heard the stuff she says? Oh speaking of which!" Grabbing her phone and after a moment of messing with it, she showed her the screen. It was a video and as it played, Marinette felt dread creeping into her.  
_

 

_'You guys know how Marinette has the biggest crush on Adrien?' The video showed Lila saying that to a group of students. And she realized it was her classmates._

_'Yeah, she knew how close me and Adrien were getting and she cornered me yesterday. Oh, you guys should have seen her! I was scared for my life." The girl on the screen had clearly practiced what she was saying, considering how the puppy eyes were glistering and the tremble in her voice. Completely stunned, Marinette turned to face Chloe but she just jerked her phone back to her view._

_'You sure, Lila?' This time, it was Alya who was speaking and Marinette's shoulder slummed in some form of relief. Of course Alya would have her back. 'It doesn't sound like something Marinette would do.'_

_'I know you're her best friend but you have to believe me, Alya!' The Italian girl had tears streaming down her cheeks. 'I never thought she'd do this to me because of a boy!'_

_'Well... she did seem a little jealous over the seating arrangement...' And with that, Marinette did not want to watch anymore. Did Alya really think she'd be able to do something as ridiculous as this? Especially because she had an alibi on her whereabouts yesterday._

_'I don't think that's true, Lila. Marinette was with me all day yesterday.'_

_And Marinette's eyes were back on the screen. She didn't see it at first glance but the boy she was with the day before spoke up. 'Like, all day. We were working on our homework together.'_

_'Well, she did do this to me yesterday, probably right before you guys met up! You don't think I would lie about something like this, do you Nino?'_

_The boy who had stood up against her just narrowed his eyes, looked around the room, before storming out. 'Marinette would never, **never** , something like that Lila. And I can't believe you all think that she would.'_

_That's when the recorder decided to step in. 'You guys are terrible, utterly terrible. Dupain-Cheng is gonna be heartbroken when she hears about this.'_

_And Lila caught sight of the camera and before it cut off, the scowl on her face was very clear._

 

_The two girls sat in silence for a moment. Chloe was watching the way the girl next to her would react and Marinette... well, Marinette was at a complete loss for words. She couldn't believe that her best friend, Alya, would even think what Lila said was true. Especially when she knew that Nino was over at her place basically all day. Did Alya really think that low of her? But then she realized something. "Is that why whenever I tried talking to Adrien, someone was always getting in between us? And all the weird stares?"_

_"Basically."_

_Slumping against the seat of the car, Marinette let out a deep sigh. How was Lila able to turn people she went to school with for years against her like that? But... off all people, it was Chloe and Nino that seemed to stand up for her. And despite the circumstances, Marinette was grateful._

_"So," the blonde started, stepping out of the car when her driver opened the door. Holding her hand out, she had on a smile. Something Marinette was not use to seeing. "I want to be friends with you, Dupain-Cheng. But we got to do something to push this dipshit off her high horse."_

_Marinette couldn't help it, she let out a loud laugh, accepting the girls hand and stepped out of the car. "I think I can work with that Chloe."_

_The two girls walked into the bakery laughing, arms linked with each other, and startling two confused adults._

 

_\--_

 

_"Anyways, Sabrina is going to help us out as well. Apparently Kina did something and I have never seen Sabrina that pissed off before."_

_Snorting, Marinette finished eating the cookie in her hands. She still had one question to ask though. "Why do you want to be friends, Chloe?"_

_As if she was expecting the question all afternoon, the blonde sighed. She faced the other girl, her eyes intense as she locked eyes with her. "To be completely honest with you, Dupain-Cheng, I always wanted to be friends with you. Since we were younger. But I... I was just so envious of you. You didn't have to do anything - everyone wanted to be your friend. And at some point, every guy in a class had a crush on you. Like, every guy, I'm not joking about that. Plus, you have such an amazing home. Your parents are amazing."_

_Taking a deep breath, Chloe finally broke their stare and found a pillow to look at instead, afraid of what the blue-haired girl might say. She quickly continued to talk, not wanting to be interrupted. "I know, this is a shitty explanation but it's the honest truth, Marinette." To show her sincerity, Chloe abandoned the way she usually addressed the girl. "And I didn't like the way everyone just turned their backs on you, like you haven't been the one to help everyone out. Seriously, I don't understand them." She felt a surge of anger shoot through her, causing her to raise to her feet. Finally turning to the other girl in the room, she raised her arms in the air. "You literally do everything for everyone. You are the sweetest, kindest, most awesome person I know, Marinette."_

_Shocked would not be the right word to describe how blown away Marinette was with this new information. Not only has Chloe admitted of being jealous, but she was angry with the way the class were treating her. There was no words the could describe exactly what she was feeling at the moment, but instead of doing nothing, Marinette just walked over to Chloe and gave her a hug. After a few moments, Marinette was able to find her voice again. "I appreciate you telling me this and I would like to be friends, Chloe. But," she pulled back, chuckling at the bewildered look on her face, Marinette pointed at her. "you have to make up for being such a dick to me for years."_

_Rolling her eyes, Chloe waved her off. "I know, I know, Dupain-Cheng. I got a lot of shit to make up for. How about getting a manicure tomorrow? My nails are damaged from how much I had to stop myself from punching Kina."_

_"Lila."_

_"So? Is that a yes?"_

_"Okay, I've been needing one for a while."_

_Smirking, Chloe held her phone up to her ears. "Say less, Dupain-Cheng."_

_But before Marinette could respond back, she head a knocking at her door. Giving a questioning look to the blonde, who in return just shrugged, Marinette opened the door. The person on the other side was not anyone she would have expected to show up at her door._

_"Adrien?"_

_"Mari, why is everyone saying this nonsense about you threatening Lila? And why is everyone being so shitty towards you? I was about to fight Kim today!"_

_Having no words to say, the blue haired girl simply stepped aside to let him come up. Today was so strange, Marinetted decided that she needed to write about it in her diary._

_"I told you why, Adrien." At the new voice, Marinette's eyes widen. So it wasn't just Adrien._

_"Nino, I told you. There's no way that would make sense."_

_"Ask Chloe! She was there too."_

_The two boys had looks that could cause anyone's heart to stop with how deadly it looked. They were ready to go for war and all they needed was the permission. But poor Marinette, she had no idea how to handle all the events that seemed to occur in front of her._

_Adrien stalked over to the blonde girl, clearly very irritated. "Is it true? Did Lila say that Marinette threatened her?"_

_Without speaking up, Chloe held out her phone, playing the video that she showed Marinette earlier that day. The room was silent as all eyes were on the blonde boy, who was standing very still as he watched, but it was clear on his face that with every passing second, he was getting angrier. And when he spoke, his voice was soft yet it held an edge, one that brought goosebumps to all that was there. "How dare she." Snapping his gaze to Marinette, the girl just stiffened, afraid as to what he might say. But she relaxed when the eyes became gentle. "She won't get away with this. Hell, Nino and I will do whatever we can to get back at this girl.  No one messes with one of my friends."_

_"I agree with Adrien, we can't just let her walk all over you like this." Nino nodded, determination displayed on his face._

_"For once, I agree with DJ boy. You're amazing, Dupain-Cheng, and I'm not going to let some nobody from Italy do anything to hurt you."_

_Marinette just looked at all three of the people in front of her. She would never have thought that this combination of friends would be the one's to stick by her side. And she couldn't help it when the tears started and just went on to hug them all. She was pretty much lucky, even if her best friend wasn't among them. At least now, she knows she's not alone in this fights._

_"Thank you guys. And now," clearing her face of any tears, she clapped her hands. "what's this plan to bring down Lila Rossi?"_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly, I had an idea for this story but now, I'm just going with the flow. Kinda wanna see where this train of thought will take us in this story. So you're in for the ride as much as I am. But I'll make sure that everything is tide up nicely, lmao.


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